Device for purifying the breathing air in a vapor bath for therapeutical use



Sept. 20, 1938.- z. FUJITA 2,130,718

DEVICE FOR PURIFYING THE BREATHING AIR IN A VAPOR BATH FOR THERAPEUTICAL USE Filed Feb, 24, 1937 Patented Sept. 20, 1938 UNITEDFS'TATES PTA-TENT omcr DEVICE FOR *PURIFYING THE BREATHING AIRINA VAPOR BATH FOR THERAPEUTI- CALUSE- Zensei Fujita, Yotsuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan Application February 24, 1937,SerialNo. 127,567

- In Japan February 24, 1936 1 Claim. (01. 128-191) This invention relates to a;device for purifying the breathing air in a vapor bath fortherapeutical use, and comprises a casing, means for introducing heating medium vapor into said casing, means for'supplying mist of aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide or barium hydroxide into said casing, and means for supplying oxygen or ozone gas into said casing, for thepurposeof continuously transforming carbon dioxide gas produced in the casing into calcium carbonate or barium carbonate and for supplementing oxygen therein. 1

The object of the invention is to provide a vapor bath for therapeutical use which can be borne for a sufiiciently long time, from 2 to- 6 hours, to secure a desired therapeutic effect by maintaining an elevated temperature of the body, Without producing any injurious or dangerous consequence caused by breathing trouble.

In the accompanying drawing in which one embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the therapeutical vapor bath according to this invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view, and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view thereof.

Referring to the drawing, a base I is supported in a slightly inclined position by four legs. To said base I is mounted a casing 2 provided with a hinged door 3 and a window 4 having a shield of transparent material. Within said casing 2 above the base I is mounted a bed 5. Beneath said bed 5, there are provided pipes a, a one being supplied with vapor of a heating medium, and the other being supplied with aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide or barium hydroxide. The latter pipe a, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, is provided with means, which may assume the form of a plurality of spray nozzles or openings or any other suitable and conventional expedient, whereby mist of the solution of calcium hydroxide or barium hydroxide is produced and discharged within the casing. In the head portion of the casing, there is arranged a pipe I) for supplying oxygen or ozone gas into the casing. The discharge end of the said pipe b is arranged in such position that the oxygen gas is discharged above the face of the patient. For example, the vapor of the heating medium is discharged in the casing in the amount of from to 50 litres per minute; the mist of aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide or barium hydroxide is discharged in the amount of from 300 to 600 c. e. per minute; and oxygen or ozone gas is discharged in the amount of from 300 to 6 0 c. 0. per minute.

In the heretofore practiced vapor bath treatment, on account of the increasing amount of carbon dioxide gas produced in the casing by the respiration of the patient, the patient often suffers from heart-trouble and anaemia, and sometimes death of the patient occurs. According to this invention, not only'it is possible to vary conveniently the'length of the time of treatment, but also it is possible to avoid such danger encountered in the heretofore practiced vapor bath treatment as described. By experiments it has been found that during the bath treatment the breathing air in the casing is changed as follows:By breathing, an adult ordinarily consumes oxygen of about 250 to 300 c. 0. per minute, and discharges carbon dioxide gas of about 200 to 300 c. 0. per minute. A patient under treatment, who has an elevated temperature, consumes oxygen of 500 to 600 c. 0. per minute and discharges carbon dioxide gas of 400 to 600 c. 0. per minute.

Now, the amount of oxygen consumption and the amount of carbon dioxide discharge taken in time is diagrammatically shown as follows:-

(1) Oxygen consumption Litre 90 3o 60 90 120 150 Minute (2) Carbon dioxide gas Litre 9o Mil lllte The above-mentioned examples (1) and (2) have been both taken from the breathing of a From the above-mentioned diagram ('2), it will be seen that at minutes after starting the treatment the carbon dioxide content becomes about 3%, and after minutes it becomes about 6%.

death. In view of the above, the heretofore employed therapeutical vapor bath could not be borne for more than 20. minutes. Consequently, it was not possible. to secure the desired degree of. therapeutic effect. While it is well known that for obtaining good therapeutic effect the vapor bath should be borne for a greater length of time (from 2 to 6 hours), maintaining the elevated temperature. of the body, heretoforeithas not been possible. practically to effect the continuous treatment for so long time, since the breathing air in the. casing is soon changed intov a dangerous. condition According to this invention, calcium hydroxide Thus, on continuous treatment for about. one hour the patient would be sufiocated to:

or barium hydroxide introduced into the bath is combined with carbon dioxide produced in the bath, and is transformed into the harmless substance as follows:

Thus, it will be seen that carbon dioxide produced in the bath is removed by producing calcium carbonate or barium carbonate, and that at the same time oxygen is supplied. Consequently, according to the invention, the vapor bath can be borne for a desired longer time at will, and it is possible to attain a desired therapeutic efi'ect, without causing any dangerous consequence.

What I claim is:-

A device. for purifying the breathing air in a 'vapor bath for therapeutical use, comprising a casing, means for introducing heating medium vaponinto said casing, means. for supplyingxmist ofiaqueous solution ofi a member of the group consisting of calcium hydroxide and barium hydroxiderinto; saicb casing, and meansfor. supplying 3 oxygen or ozone gas; into said casing, for the purpose" of continuously transforming carbon dioxide gas. produced in the easing into calcium carbonate or bariumr carbonate and for: supplementing oxygen.

ZENSEI FUJITA. 

